by Kate Donovan
Meanwhile, the sounds of the approaching intruders filled her ears, so distinct she almost thought she could hear Rem cursing. And she could definitely hear a stream of profanity in Logan’s furious voice.
“Okay, big guy. Time to dance.” Slipping her hands into the gloves, she closed her eyes and willed the giant frame to take a step, knowing that that sight, more than anything, would cause Logan and his crew to back off.
But the giant’s leg didn’t move. Instead, his enormous arm began to elevate, until his hand was held high in greeting to the outsiders.
Now she was pretty sure she could hear laughing. Not just Rem, but every single member of the rescue team.
“Back off!” she called out cheerfully, and to her delight, her voice resonated over speakers, filling the cool night air. “Let’s see what this guy can do.”
“Zia?”
She turned to see that Dr. Annur had entered the chamber.
“Annur! Do you see? You were right.”
“I see.” He walked up to her and touched her arm. “Next time, put your feet in the anchors. But for now, you need to stop and rest. This is already too much for your first experience with the giant.”
She wanted to argue, but could see in his eyes that he was honestly concerned. She had made her point, hadn’t she? Now it was time to do the prudent thing for once.
“It’s for sure? I’m a match?”
“It is for sure.”
“Ninety-five percent,” she reminded him with a smile.
He laughed. “Take off the helmet, Zia.”
“Let’s hope I can. It feels like it’s welded to my head,” she complained, but as soon as she touched it, it expanded to its original shape and she was able to remove it easily. “Wow, that’s so amazing.”
Annur stepped over to the instrument panel and pulled out the solenoid. “Shall we go?”
“You don’t have air boots.”
“There is a hovercraft waiting for us right outside the hatch.”
She gave a pained smile. “I don’t suppose they’re going to congratulate me?”
“Eventually. But first, you will be scolded. You frightened Ambassador Humber to death. And as for Commander Logan, his display of temper was like nothing I have ever seen.”
“And Lieutenant Stone?”
Rem poked his head through the doorway and gave her a sheepish smile. “He feels like the world’s biggest foghead.”
“Good.” She grinned. “Remember when my air boots stalled and I fell into the water? And you laughed so hard at me? Now we’re even.”
“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Dr. Annur? Can you give us a minute?”
The Malaran hesitated. “The commander is waiting. And I do not think he wants you two alone together.”
“It’s not romantic or anything,” Rem promised.
“Fifteen seconds,” Annur agreed finally, then he went back to the door and transferred onto the hovercraft.
“Rem . . .”
“Come on, Zia. Let me say it. You asked for my help and I turned you down. I just want you to know, I won’t ever do that again.”
“You had a conflict,” she reminded him.
“Because I thought they’d be suspicious of my motives if your brain got toasted? Because I’m a Stone? I meant it at the time, but it bothered me later. I don’t want that crap coming between us, Zee. Not ever again.”
She smiled. “I meant the other conflict—your promise to my grandfather you’d protect me. He would’ve haunted you forever if you had helped fry my brain cells. It’s fine,” she added sincerely. “The commander would have court-martialed you if you’d been part of this. But I did it on my own, and now he’s in your debt for alerting him—”
“Stone!” came an angry bark from the external speakers of the hovercraft. “Get out of that damned robot and bring the president’s niece with you. Now!”
Rem chuckled. “He doesn’t sound too grateful, does he? We’d better do what he says.”
“Wait.” She slipped her hands behind his head. “Don’t you want to congratulate me?”
He flushed. “I promised Annur this wouldn’t be romantic. But yeah. Congratulations, Miss Quito. Your grandfather would be proud of you. I wish I had a medal to put around your neck, but since I don’t . . .” He leaned his head down and tasted her lips gently. Then he pulled her against himself and whispered, “You feel so good.”
“So do you,” she told him, her heart pounding.
It was just like in the vid of the medal ceremony, where Zia had seen him lean his head down toward her as if he were going to kiss her. She had reached up, but only to put the Exemplar around his neck. This time was different. This time, she sifted her fingers through his thick, wavy hair. Then she licked her lips in cautious anticipation.
He kissed her again, and now, his mouth wasn’t just curious—it was on a mission. Zia responded breathlessly, wrapping her arms around his neck, loving the fact that their date to Malara was officially beginning.
“Stone!” Commander Logan had entered the colossus. “Get your ass into that hovercraft!”
Rem jumped away from Zia as though she were a grenade. “Yes, sir. Right away, sir.” He made eye contact with her, but only for a second, then he strode past the commander and exited the colossus.
“Have you lost your mind?” Logan demanded.
Zia wanted to give a scathing retort. After all, she had just piloted a giant mech! Who was he to criticize her?
But all she could manage to say was, “Stop yelling at me. You’re so mean!” Then before he could react, she darted past him for the safety of the hovercraft.
* * * *
The next twelve hours were a blur to Zia, between the pompous lectures and the mind grubbing attempts to make her feel guilty—even though they were the ones who had refused to consider that ninety-five might be a match. And interspersed with it all was the maudlin insistence that she shouldn’t go to Malara even if she was a match, because it would break the heart of every citizen, particularly her uncle, if anything ever happened to her.
It might have been fun had Rem had been allowed to stay so that she’d have someone to roll her eyes at. But Logan had ordered the young lieutenant back to the hotel the moment the hovercraft touched down. She envied Rem the chance to get a decent night’s sleep—something impossible at the Hacienda, given her uncle’s tirades and the need to prepare for the launch ceremony, which now carried even greater significance for the Quito administration.
The last thing you need is sleep anyway. You’re about to spend two weeks in suspension during the flight to Malara, she reminded herself as she dressed in the blue-gray flight suit she had chosen to wear to the ceremony. It was the working uniform of a United States Air-Space pilot, and while her uncle had wanted her to wear dress whites for her induction into the armed forces, she suspected Rem would already be in his flight suit, and she wanted to set the tone right away.
They were a team. Not a “Quito” and a “Stone,” but two Earth pilots ready to help their Malaran allies the way Malara had helped Earth.
“What do you think?” she asked finally, turning to smile self-consciously at Jenni, who had been allowed to visit for Zia’s final few minutes at the Hacienda. “Not exactly stylish, but at least it covers my legs and arms so the Malarans won’t be offended by all my hairless skin.”
“I told you, I’m not speaking to you,” Jenni reminded her from her seat on Zia’s bed. “Not until you promise to stay here where you belong. You’re not a pilot, Zee. You can dress up like one and play sky paddle like one, but that doesn’t change the facts.”
“Jenn—”
“Don’t go.” Jenni’s tone grew desperate. “I don’t care how guilty you feel, or what you think we owe Malara. It’s too dangerous there.”
“Ambassador Humber says they worship me. I’ll be perfectly safe.” Zia arched an eyebrow. “I want to look like a pilot. So? Hair up? Braided? What do you think?”
“Loose, I gu
ess.” Jenni managed a halfhearted smile. “I can’t believe the president is letting you run off with a hot-body like Rem Stone.”
Zia laughed. “We’ll be asleep on the transport, then plopped into the middle of a war. Plus, we’ll have a chaperone. Guess who it is? Commander Logan.”
“Ooo.” Jenni sat up straight. “A love triangle? You should have mentioned that earlier. It explains everything.”
“Be quiet.” Zia laughed again. “I fell out of love with him months ago, remember?”
“It’s so romantic. Your old love and your new one. What if they fight over you?”
Zia rolled her eyes and went back to brushing her hair.
“So?” Jenni asked suddenly. “Do you want me to come with you?”
Touched, Zia crossed to the bed and gave the girl a hug. “You’re such a perfect best friend. But no. It’s something I need to do by myself.”
Jenni hugged her back. “Malara sounds so hideous. The air is filthy, you know. And everyone’s so big and furry. Even their vegetables are wrong.”
“I don’t think vegetables can be wrong,” Zia said with a laugh.
“They can if they’re pink. Yuck.” Jenni bit her lip. “Malara’s bad enough. But the trip will be even scarier.”
“I’ll be sound asleep,” Zia reminded her.
“In a metal capsule filled with water. I’d be terrified of drowning again.” She shook her head. “I’ll never forget how scary that was, Zee. I thought my lungs were going to burst.”
Zia winced. “It’s water vapor. You can’t drown in it.”
“But you can’t breathe it either. My mom says your respiration will slow to almost nothing from the IV they give you. Otherwise, you would drown. Or at least get pneumonia.”
“Jenni?” Zia murmured. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Oh, sorry.”
“It’s time to go anyway.” Zia turned back to the mirror. “This looks too flashy, doesn’t it? I should braid it—”
“No, leave it like that. The vids will love it.”
A knock sounded from the hallway. “Zia?”
She gave Jenni a wistful smile, then crossed the room and opened the door. “Hi, Uncle J. Is it time?”
“The limo’s right outside.” His expression was weary as he studied her uniform. “Look at you.”
Jenni walked up to Jared and said bluntly, “Don’t let her go, Mr. President.”
“Believe me, I’ve tried to stop her.” He sighed out loud, then inclined his head toward the hall. “Your parents are waiting to take you home, Jenni. Have you girls said good-bye?”
Jenni turned to Zia, her eyes filled with tears, which made Zia cry too. She had always joked that they were sisters at heart, and now she knew it was true, because her heart felt as though it were breaking. They might never see each other, or even talk, again. Not raise kids, much less hell, together.
“If something happens to me, you’d better name your first baby Zia.”
“I will, I promise!”
They hugged each other again. Then Zia insisted, “I don’t want a blotchy face for the vids, so get going, okay?”
“You don’t want me at the launch?”
Zia shook her head.
“You look so grown up. So military. Don’t die, please?”
Zia laughed through her tears. “I won’t. I promise.”
Jenni looked like she was about to say something else, but instead, she burst into tears again and ran out of the room.
“She took that well,” Zia joked to her uncle, but inside, her mood was growing grim. Moving back to the mirror, she confirmed that her makeup wasn’t tear-streaked. Then she announced quietly, “Okay. Let’s get this over with.”
* * * *
When they reached the limousine that was parked in front of the Hacienda, Zia took a deep breath. This was it. If she was going to change her mind, this was the time. In a few minutes, they’d be at the press conference, which was being held on an airstrip near the transport that would take her to Malara.
“Do you know if Rem is at the launch site yet, Uncle J?”
When he scowled, she reminded him sharply, “We settled this last night. No more Rem-busting. Or I’ll just walk to the ceremony.”
“It’s not that,” Jared assured her. “I’m willing to admit he has his good points. Especially because he refused to help you with your crazy robot scheme last night. That demonstrated good judgment on his part.”
“I agree.” Zia slid into the leather seat next to her uncle. “Now all we have to do is get him to admit that you’re a good guy too.”
“That will never happen,” Jared predicted. “His resentment runs too deep. It’s easy for us, Zee. We can judge him on his own merit because he’s no real threat. But to him, we’re the enemy as much as the Alluvans are.”
When she rolled her eyes, Jared insisted, “I don’t blame him for feeling that way. Our family shattered his father’s life, and Rem’s future along with it. Even if he’s a hero on Malara and returns to a wave of popularity that eventually lands him the presidency, his legacy will not yet be restored.”
“Why not? That’s his goal. I’m sure of it.”
“It’s one of his goals. But that boy will never really be content until he clears his father’s name. And the only way to do that is to smear the name of Elena Quito. You see that, don’t you?”
The statement had an uncomfortably accurate ring, but Zia wasn’t buying it. “I think you’re the one who won’t let the rivalry die, Uncle J. So just stop talking about it. We’re here anyway.”
“Wait, Zee! I’m sorry.” He gave her a hopeful smile. “I did what you asked, by the way.”
“What?”
“You told me last night that you didn’t want Sean Logan going to Malara with you.”
Her anger evaporated into tentative appreciation. “You told him he couldn’t come? And he listened?”
“He had no choice,” Jared said with a harsh laugh. “I’m the one who appointed him. If he disregards my wishes, I can appoint someone else. So he had to agree with me. Especially because I’m correct—we cannot spare him for such a long mission so far from Earth. If we were attacked, he could never get back here in time to do his job.”
“That’s true,” she murmured. Then she gave her uncle an awkward hug. “Thanks, Uncle J. He would have ruined everything for me if he’d come.”
Jared arched a knowing eyebrow.
“Not that,” she scolded him. “I need the Malarans to take me seriously. So that the Alluvans will be afraid of me. That’s the whole idea. And since I’ll turn eighteen during the flight—”
“Your birthday! I forgot all about that, Zia. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she told him. “It’s perfect timing, because I’m determined to act like an adult and a professional pilot even if it kills me. But I couldn’t do that with Logan bellowing at me and treating me like a child all the time. So thank you so, so much. And don’t worry. Rem will protect me. Whatever else he feels, he’s serious about that.”
“He’ll have help. Humber tells us there’s room for three additional personnel on the transport. So Logan selected an honor guard. Since you and Stone are representing the Air-Space Force, the others will be from the army, the navy, and the marines.”
“Ooo, I love that,” she said, adding warily, “They can’t order me around, can they?”
“No. As a captain, you’ll outrank them.”
“Captain?” She eyed him critically. “I don’t want to outrank Rem.”
“Logan promoted him to captain early this morning.”
“Really?” She exhaled in relief. “Thanks, Uncle J. That’s perfect.”
Someone tapped on the window of the limo, and when Jared lowered it, his press secretary told him, “They’re ready for you and Zia, sir.”
“One minute.” Jared raised the window glass again, then turned to Zia. “This is it. Your last chance to change your mind.”
“I can
’t.”
“I know. I’m so proud of you.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “Don’t become too much of an adult on Malara. And promise me you’ll let the others protect you. Humber’s warriors, and the honor guard, and even Stone. Listen to them. Promise?”
“I promise.” She batted away the tears filling her eyes. “My makeup is perfect, so please stop being so nice to me.”
He smiled sadly, then opened the door and exited the limo. Then he extended his hand to her. “Shall we, Captain Quito?”
* * * *
Everyone else was already in place on the stage. Humber and Logan were seated on one side of the microphone with the vice president, who had flown in at the last minute. On the other side were Rem and three soldiers. In the middle of the platform were empty chairs for Zia and her uncle, and as she walked over to them, she flashed Rem a smile that congratulated him on his promotion and gloated about her own. From the twinkle in his blue eyes, she knew he got the message.
Aside from some privileged dignitaries and friends, the only persons in the audience were reporters, who were already interfacing with their compu-tabs. Despite the late notice, every major vid service on Earth was there in full force, broadcasting the ceremony to the world.
The press secretary greeted the crowd cheerfully. “We need to keep this moving, folks. Launch time is ten a.m. sharp, and there’s still lots to do. You can consult your briefing materials for the details about all that. There will be ten occupants on the transport—Ambassador Humber and his crew, and our five brave military personnel, including the latest inductee, Captain Zia Quito.”
A roar of approval erupted, and he waited for it to die down. “In the interest of time, we won’t be allowing any questions—” He paused for a second, less appreciative, outburst, then continued blithely. “I’m sure we all agree that installing the crew safely in the suspension chambers is more important, so let’s move on, shall we? And now, without further delay, I give you the president of the United States.”
